Event-related potential (ERP) component parameters were used as dependent measures in an evaluation of the functional aspects of cognition in acute alcoholics. Previous studies indicate that chronic alcoholics differ in unique ways from nonalcoholics. However, a longitudinal study has not been done to determine whether the differences persist. Overall, our subject's P50 amplitude, N200 amplitude and latency, and P300 amplitude and latency appeared to differ between groups over the posttreatment period. However these differences were reduced over the nine-month posttreatment time period. A group main effect for verbal WAIS-R subtest scaled scores was found in the first session (before treatment), but no differences were found after treatment. The initial results of this study support the idea that alcoholism has a deleterious effect upon ERPs. The reduced P300 amplitude, and the lack of an oddball effect (i.e., no difference in amplitude between rare and frequent tones) for alcoholics replicate the results of other ERP studies with alcoholics.... Electrophysiology, Alcoholism, Cognition.

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